Missing Piece
by sammiam13
Summary: As the metallic doors shut, Edward ran a hand through his hair and let out a big breath that he had been holding. That woman’s simple beauty had just taken his breath away, and he wasn’t sure if he would ever see her again.
1. Chapter 1

**This was originally a short story for my English class.  
But, I've decided to expand it, and I thought it could apply to a Bella and Edward story.  
Enjoy! XD**

The hotel worker was annoyingly snapping her gum, texting on her phone whilst she was supposed to be working. She typed deftly with her obnoxious French manicured nails, which accented her orange tan perfectly. Fake blond hair spouted from her head.

Edward sighed. Could this girl get any more fake? He liked his girls to have a natural beauty, but that was very scarce out here in California.

Why did he live in this town again?

Oh yeah, because it had the best paying detective service. The one that he worked at. The one that his father owned.

He rang the little bell sitting atop the check-in desk.

The plastic overcooked Barbie didn't even look up from her phone.

He cleared his throat. Still no response.

Finally, he spoke up, "Excuse me ma'am."

She finally looked up. And unfortunately, liked what she saw.

A twisted smile came on her face, and she positioned her body so that Edward had a clear shot to see what her apparent lack of decent clothing was revealing. Her blue eyes might have been beautiful, had she not applied a thick layer of black all around her eye.

Edward was disgusted, but he did his best to try and not vomit right there on the spot.

"How can I help you?" the woman said in a nasal voice that she probably meant to be seductive.

It was quite clear to Edward the double meaning in the woman's voice. Well, if you could call this indecent creature a woman.

Edward flashed his badge. "Edward Cullen," he said, "Private Detective. I'm here to investigate a case that occurred in room 314."

The floozy's eyes widened at the badge, and another sickening grin came across her face.

"You mean," she started in that nasal voice again, "you own the Cullen Detective agency?" She fluttered her also fake eyelashes.

Edward winced, hopefully not so that she could see.

"No," he replied, "that's my father. I simply work for him. Could you please direct me to 314," he searched for a nametag on the woman's skimpy shirt, without trying to seem indecent, "Lauren?"

"I admire working men that don't have to work but choose to anyway." Lauren continued, completely avoiding sending Edward away.

Lauren's manicured hand snaked across the check-out desk, trying to grasp Edward's.

Edward has immediately pulled his hand away. He had had enough of this check-in girl's promiscuous ways.

"Miss, please direct me to room 314 or I'm afraid I'm going to find your manager and report your indecent behavior," Edward said the most polite voice he could muster, his teeth clenched.

Lauren's face fell, and her annoyed expression returned to her face.

"Take the elevator to floor three, second room to the left," she replied while popping her gum again. Edward noticeably winced this time.

"Thank you," he said, while keeping his eyes closed and clutching his briefcase very tightly to himself.

He followed Lauren's instructions and walked to the elevator.

As the doors were closing, Edward heard a woman's voice call out to him.

"Stop!" the voice pleaded, "Please hold the door!"

Edward did as he was told, partly because he was being polite, and partly because the voice had him enamored, and he wanted to see the owner of this angelic voice.

A pale woman with chocolaty brown hair stumbled into the elevator. She was dressed in a plain t-shirt with a pair of fitted blue jeans. Even in such a simple outfit, she took Edward's breath away.

"Thanks," she said breathlessly and looked up at Edward, meeting his gaze.

She had deep, mesmerizing brown eyes that Edward got lost in.

He could not find his voice to answer her until he mentally slapped himself.

"It's no problem at all," he replied and smiled.

The woman smiled back, blushing a delightful shade of pink.

She then looked at her shoes, avoiding Edward's gaze.

Edward couldn't think of anything to say. He just continued to stare at the woman.

She was holding a small, beat up duffel bag, filled with something. What was it filled with? Why was she out of breath?

He wanted to know this woman's name, but he didn't want to come off as an overly smooth business man, which he probably looked like.

Suddenly, the elevator came to a stop at level two, all too soon.

"Well, thanks for holding the door," the mysterious woman said as she bolted out of the elevator before Edward could say anything.

As the metallic doors shut, Edward ran a hand through his hair and let out a big breath that he had been holding.

That woman's simple beauty had just taken his breath away, and he wasn't sure if he would ever see her again.

He completely forgot about his case until the elevator let out a little 'ding!' and it opened to floor three.

**I'll give you a cyber cookie if you review!  
: )**


	2. Chapter 2

**You know, Edward really wants you to read this chapter.  
And review it.  
And read the next one after this when it comes up.  
And the next one, and the next one...**

Edward walked into the hotel room.

It was nice, and it looked expensive.

When he walked in, he saw a little sitting room with light brown wallpaper. A little coffee table and a couple of chairs inhabited the room, but no people.

"Hello?" he called for an answer.

"In the bedroom!" a man's voice replied.

Edward walked a little further and came upon the bedroom.

It had lighter brown walls than the sitting room. There was a door to a very large looking bathroom and a couple of pieces of furniture to hold clothes. Against one wall was a very large television in a nice looking entertainment center, with a min-fridge standing right next to it.

But the centerpiece of the room was a very large bed, upon which two people sat.

From the looks of them, Edward guessed that they were a couple.

A woman sat on the bed, her head in her hands. She didn't even look up as Edward entered the room. Her light brown hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, and she was dressed in a casual sundress.

A man had his arm around her, comforting her and soothingly rubbing circles into her back.

He had bright blonde hair and concerned blue eyes. He was wearing khacki pants and a nice green polo.

Edward saw that the man wore a ring on his wedding finger, but the woman did not. Yet they obviously looked like they were together.

There was an officer sitting across from them in a chair, looking at Edward. Edward acknowledged him with a nod, and he took that as a clue to leave the room.

Edward walked over to the couple, and sat on the chair the officer had just abandoned.

"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen, your Private Detective. I was sent down here to investigate a case?" he said as he looked at the man for answers.

The man cleared his throat.

"Why, yes. I'm Ben Cheney. And this is my wife Angela."

The distressed woman who Edward knew as Angela looked up from her hands.

Deep circles of worry were right below her eyes.

"Alright," Edward said as he took out my handy dandy notepad and began to write down their names. He was also ready to record any other key information.

"Can I ask you two what happened here? And please, don't spare any details. I need to know everything." He said.

Ben opened up his mouth to answer, but Angela put a hand on his arm to stop him.

Ben looked over at her with a look that seemed to say, 'Are you sure?'

She nodded her head, and then looked at Edward.

Her hazel eyes gazed straight into Edward's green ones. She began to tell her story.

"Well you see, We have been married for about a month now," she told him, "and we have been traveling ever since our marriage. Our desire to see the country brought us here, to Baltimore. We are making an effort to see the whole east coast before settling down, you see. We found the nearest hotel, this Holiday Inn, and checked in.

After we dragged our bags up to the room, I decided to freshen up and take a shower. My husband departed for the nearest convenience store, planning to stock our little mini-fridge enough to last us about three days. Before taking my shower, I noticed that a rash was developing on my ring finger, so I took my wedding rings off and placed them on the bathroom counter. I left them there after I took my shower, for the rash was not yet gone."

She paused there, burying her head in her hands again. She did not remove her head from her hands, and her husband took her silence as a cue to fill in the rest.

Edward could tell from the how Angela told the story that she was full of guilt and worry.

"My wife is very upset," Ben began, "not only because it's her wedding ring, but because it was also my mother's before she passed. I've told her that I'm not mad, and that it did not cost much, but she said that the sentimental value is irreplaceable.

I can't image why anyone would want to steal it. It's not as if it cost much. It's worth little to nothing-"

"Sir," Edward interrupted. Although it was rude of him, it seemed Ben was beginning to speak more to himself, and deviating from the story. Edward looked at Ben expectantly, and he stopped his rambling.

"Sorry," he apologized, "It's important to us. The next morning, she left it on the counter again, for the rash was persistent. We set out to explore all of Baltimore, visiting the aquarium, the zoo, and one of the theaters, places like that. When we came back late that night, well, umm- it was gone."

Edward examined Ben for a second. He looked a little uncomfortable, probably because he wasn't used to being questioned. He did not seem too worried, most likely overlooking the intensity of the emotional attachment between his wife and the ring. He fidgeted a little under Edward's scrutinizing gaze. He looked innocent, obviously not happy that his wife was sad. Edward could think of no motives that would prompt him to steal his ring, and his wife's happiness.

"I believe that's all I need from you. Are there people other then the hotel staff that have access to this room?" Edward inquired.

Ben shook his head, and turned his full attention back to his wife. Edward stood up to exit the room, but the woman, suddenly animated, grabbed Edward's arm and his attention.

"Please," the woman pleaded, "find my ring. I beg you. I really appreciate you helping." She looked at Edward, and both her voice and face were bursting with sincerity. He simply nodded his head, unknowing of what to say, and trotted out the door.

Edward walked out the door, preparing to go down to the lobby and see the manager to see what people had access to the room.

He couldn't help but feel a little hope that the women he had seen earlier with the chocolate hair and eyes would once again call out to him to hold the elevator.

However, he heard nothing except the ding of the elevator as it opened at the lobby.

**Reviews = love.  
****  
So I love you if you review! XD**


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